Redundancy, the ability to scale to meet large traffic demands and expand globally has never been more important for companies, from content publishers to ed-tech platforms, app discovery platforms, and even sports organisations, especially in an increasingly digital economy where online users’ patience is at an all-time low and churn rate translates to missed opportunities for brands.

Evidently so, IDC recently found that 68.7 per cent of enterprises view application delivery services as relevant to their organisation’s edge strategy with 75 per cent of these enterprises expecting less than five ms latency.

As such, how can organisations minimise latency or sluggish site movements to deliver an optimal user experience in the modern digital era?

One solution is to implement a multi-CDN strategy.

What’s a multi-CDN?

A Content Delivery Network is a system of geographically dispersed servers that facilitates the delivery of digital content with high performance and high availability. The idea behind a CDN is to move content much closer to end users.

Also Read: Diversity and inclusion marketing campaigns: Everyone, everyday, forever

Instead of centralising digital content, such as web applications, web objects, files, downloadable media and streaming media, on a relatively small number of servers, the content is cached across many servers distributed around the globe.

End-users now retrieve the content they’re looking for from the closest Content Delivery Network edge server, rather than going all the way back to the origin to retrieve it. A website empowered by a CDN can see up to 30 per cent more organic traffic, 200 per cent higher conversions, 60 per cent lower bounce rates, and a 40 per cent lift in revenue.

A CDN can also instantly create a TV broadcast-quality experience while converting live streams on-the-fly into the right device formats. This results in much better performance (lower latency) for your customers. It also avoids overloading your origin and allows your audience to scale.

What are the benefits of a multi-CDN?

There are several reasons to consider a multi-CDN strategy:

Availability

While an outage may not rise to the level of global notoriety, it’s likely just as devastating for your business. As the Internet has become more critical to every aspect of business, minutes of downtime can impact your bottom line and damage customer relationships. Multi-CDN can minimise single points of failure by providing alternate delivery options in the event of an outage.

Performance

Whether delivering online video, web content, or software over the Internet, poor performance results in abandonment, customer frustration and a negative impact on your brand. It’s unlikely that any single CDN delivers the best performance for all traffic types, in all regions, all of the time.

By intelligently balancing your content delivery needs across multiple CDN providers, you can mitigate the impact of the performance glitches of specific providers, in specific regions, for specific traffic types.

Capacity

Large-scale content delivery events may create choke points in individual CDN providers or in certain locations. Multi-CDN alleviates these bottlenecks by distributing the data load amongst multiple CDNs rather than from a centralised location.

For large live events such as the Olympics, rapid scaling is a critical function of CDNs. If a match is tied near the end of regulation time, there are usually massive spikes with fans logging in to watch the final minutes.

Security

Internet security is an increasing concern globally. In fact, cybercrime represents the fastest growing cause of data centre outages. If a CDN is compromised it could negatively impact the ability of customers trying to access your digital content or their experience in accessing that content.

Also Read: How cloud computing is helping startups navigate the new normal

Having multiple CDN providers allows you to minimise exposure, or bypass compromised CDNs altogether, in the event of a cyberattack.

Is Multi-CDN right for you?

Multi-CDN has some compelling benefits, but it is not necessarily for everyone. Ask yourself these questions when considering if a multi-CDN strategy is right for you.

What is the impact of an outage on your business? Can you afford minutes or hours of downtime? The less tolerant your business is of an outage, the more advantageous a multi-CDN strategy will be

How much traffic does your digital content generate? Do you exceed usage limits or have traffic spikes that could be alleviated with an overflow capability to other CDNs? The more traffic, the greater potential benefit derives from multiple CDNs.

How performance-sensitive are your digital content delivery needs? Performance is really important in some applications, e.g. video streaming, but may not be as important in others, e.g. downloading software patches. Multi-CDN is likely to have greater benefits in performance-sensitive cases.

How big is your audience and where are they located? The larger, and more distributed the audience, the greater the need for multiple CDNs.

How is content being stored? Is your digital content stored in the CDN or outside of it? Storing your content in the CDN should result in performance and cost benefits, but it will mean replicating your content when using multiple CDNs or picking a CDN that allows origin access from other CDNs.

How will you switch traffic between multiple CDNs? There are a number of methods as previously discussed, but which makes the most sense for your business? Do you have the time to manage manual DNS approaches, or the expertise to tune performance methods?

What performance metrics are most important for your business? Does the performance-based switching solution you’re considering support the metrics most important to your specific content delivery application, e.g. rebuffer ratios, bit rate, availability, throughput, and response time?

How many CDNs will you deploy? There is a point of diminishing returns as more CDNs are added. Adding CDNs introduces a measure of complexity because each CDN has its own user interface, set of APIs, billing methodology, functional capabilities etc. Your development and operations teams will need to understand and manage these differences. Is your audience distributed across the globe?

If your answer is yes to these questions, multi-CDN may be most beneficial to your organisation.

Selecting the right CDN partner

Once you have determined that adding a CDN to your content delivery environment makes sense, the next question becomes which partner to select. Here are some important factors to consider:

Geographic coverage

Important questions to consider: where are your users located? Where are you looking to expand? Look for a partner that has a presence in the regions or countries where most of your users are located. When considering your global traffic distribution, it’s also important to think about future growth.

Also Read: How can lean startups build a resilient cybersecurity posture

If you expect to see increased traffic coming from emerging markets like India for example, a factor that into your decision now to avoid having to renegotiate your CDN contract or prematurely move CDN providers. Look for a partner that has a presence in places where most of your current and future users are located.

Performance metrics

Performance is a complex topic because it’s unique to different content delivery environments and workloads. It is fundamental to take into consideration the types of content you’re delivering and what performance metrics are most important to your customers’ experience.

Performance measurement

There are several performance monitoring tools commercially available, however, in many cases, results can be misleading. The best approach to evaluate performance is to do a trial or proof of concept with one or more CDNs, using your actual workload in the geographical regions that are most important to you.

Service and support

In times of need, excellent customer support can make all the difference. Consider how important it is for you to have access to live customer support. Will that support be available outside of business hours? What kind of support is offered in your region? Is the support free or is there a premium charged for this service? If you deliver live events what relevant experience does the partner have and are they willing to participate on a bridge before or during the event? Is the CDN vendor able to assist with onboarding or migrating from another CDN?

Content storage

Choices about content storage have a direct impact on workflow, total cost, and access speed. Poorly integrated storage can make it much more difficult to manage a large content library. You will have to consider whether there is a need to offload your content origin to a CDN and if so, how important is the performance of the CDN storage or mid-tier cache solution? Does the CDN storage solution support multi-CDN environments, and if so, how will the CDN storage solution you select to operate in a multi-CDN environment?

Final thoughts

Using multiple CDNs to deliver these digital content experiences promises even greater levels of availability and performance. By leveraging the right combination of providers, and enterprises you can simultaneously improve end-user quality of experience while lowering costs.

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Malaysia-based TNG Digital, the owner and operator of Touch’ n Go eWallet, has secured RM 750 (US$168.3) million in its latest equity financing round.

Lazada Group led this round and is joined by TNG Digital’s parent company Touch’ n Go Sdn. Bhd.

This round of funding brings the total amount raised by TNG Digital over the last 18 months to over RM 1 billion (US$224 million).

In addition to Touch’ n Go and Lazada, other shareholders of TNG Digital include Ant Group, insurers AIA Group and US-based venture fund BowWave Capital.

Also Read: The future of fintech: The latest trends in the industry

“We feel this collaboration will bring next-level value propositions to users and merchant bases across the Lazada and Touch’ n Go ecosystem. I look forward to seeing the teams roll out these exciting collaboration opportunities to our users,” said Effendy Shahul Hamid, Group CEO of Touch’ n Go Group. “We will continue expanding in all digital financial services areas.”

Alan Chan, CEO of Lazada Malaysia, added: “We see digital payment services as a critical bolt-on to bring the best customer experience on Lazada. Lazada is fully committed to providing a seamless customer journey and being a catalyst to stimulate capacity building among our sellers, primarily local SMEs and MSMEs.”

Started in 1997, Touch’ n Go is one of the early companies that led the digital transformation within Malaysia’s mobility ecosystem.

In 2021, TNG Digital expanded its cross-border payments capability to Singapore, led by the e-wallet’s acceptance at ComfortDelGro taxis.

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According to the most recent Glassdoor data, it took 40.8 days for companies to hire a software developer. To add more, software developers were contacted by recruiters four times per week.

So if your company has managed to employ the right remote software engineers for your openings (You have done a great job!), please don’t let your guard down just yet. It’s time to focus on how to retain them in your team.

Here are the five ways that help companies to manage their remote software engineers effectively, as proven by research.

Work should be judged by the ability to meet goals, not hours

Companies have changed the way they measure their employees’ work performance. Considering a software engineer a hero because (s)he has pulled an all-nighter to work is all in the past. Rather than evaluating employees’ work based on their daily activities where work hours are typically used, organizations have switched to focusing on results.

More employers are allowing workers to set their work schedules as they have shown they are trusted to get the job done during their chosen hours. Firms adopting flexible working have experienced employee loyalty, engagement, and higher job satisfaction. “The effects for us have been overwhelmingly positive,” says the UK recruitment agency Austin Fraser.

• According to data from Owl Labs’ state of remote work report, companies that allow remote work have 25 per cent lower employee turnover than those that don’t.
• 76 per cent of workers would be more willing to stay with their current employer if they could work flexible hours.
• Fractl’s survey also found that after health insurance, employees attach the most to flexible hours and the work-from-home option, which are relatively low-cost for employers.

Structured daily check-in setups

Set up regular calls so your remote software engineers understand their questions and concerns will be heard. While one-on-one meetings suit folks that work more independently from each other, team catch-ups go well with highly collaborative employees.

Be emotionally supportive of your remote software engineers

Research on emotional intelligence emphasizes that emotional contagion significantly influences individual-level attitudes and group processes. A leader’s responses to sudden changes are likely to be adopted by his employees. So be aware of the way you react in such circumstances.

While feeling stressed and anxious is inevitable, leaders may provide support and affirmation for confidence to their teams. Assure the employees that you acknowledge the tough situation, yet you know your team can handle it. With this approach, your remote software engineers are more likely to have a sense of purpose in taking up the challenge.

Also Read: How remote work has changed the salary scale in Taiwan

Also, be sure you frequently catch up with your remote software engineers. We cannot stress enough how important it is for organizations to communicate, especially through uncertainty. People tend to open up to those they feel trusted and empathized.

Listen to employees’ stress and concerns. Let them know their opinions matter to the organisations. Data from Harvard Business Review, SHRM, Great Place to Work, Accenture, Gallup, and Trust Edge have demonstrated that when employees trust their employers, they are much more likely to work together towards achieving the same ultimate business goals.

• Video conferencing helps reduce the sense of isolation among teams and is also useful for complicating or sensitive conversations. So for weekly team meetings, one-on-one performance reviews, and frequent catch-ups, this option may do better than written or audio-only communication.
• Mobile-enabled individual messaging functionality tools are usually used where simpler, less formal conversations and time-sensitive collaboration are preferred.
• Fix the frequency, means, and timing of the team’s communication. For example, Zoom video call for daily check-in meetings and Telegram for instant messaging on urgent updates.

Get the help you need for your remote software engineers

Making sure your remote software engineers stay focused and happy requires great investment in the company’s money and effort.

You need people to be in charge of the remote software engineers’ instant support daily and their well-being. More importantly, those people need to know what they are doing: what aligns with the remote software engineers’ cultural preferences and what doesn’t.

Thus, more companies find it more optimal to partner with tech recruitment teams that possess local intelligence and solid experience in the field to attract and retain remote software engineers for them.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page

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Singapore-based HR automation platform Omni HR has announced closing an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round of US$2.4 million co-led by Alpha JWC Ventures and Picus Capital.

FEBE Ventures, Basis Set Ventures, Ratio Ventures, Frances Kang at Horizons Ventures, and several prominent angel investors, including former executives at Namely and Ultimate Software, also participated.

With the new funding, Omni HR will further enhance its all-in-one product offering, including launching a recruitment module by Q3 and a performance management module by Q4. 

Founded in 2021 by Brian Ip and YC Chan, Omni HR provides a system that helps companies digitise and automate the end-to-end employee lifecycle on a single platform. It enables organisations to digitise employee records, automate administrative tasks, and interact employee data across different systems. 

Also Read: Human capital is the biggest enabler of digital transformation. Here’s how to enhance it

Omni HR believes that with the ongoing digital transformation and software adoption trends in Southeast Asia, its platform will ultimately become an important piece of software infrastructure for the region. 

The company is ready to expand across Southeast Asia, starting with Singapore and Indonesia.

“Most companies in Southeast Asia are currently using local HR software that supports only basic admin functions, leaving many HR processes to be done manually. Meanwhile, HR software is one of the software categories that require the most localisation due to the differing employment rules in different countries. This effectively creates a unique opportunity for local players to build a modern, scalable employee management platform based out of Southeast Asia,” said Co-Founder Ip.

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When it comes to growing and scaling your startup, you need a variety of assistance. That support can come in the form of mentorships, grants, networks, and even access to a physical space where you can test out your products and services.

With all of these forms of support, your startup can take on larger goals at a faster rate and at a much wider scale! Isn’t this the dream? If so, then look no further because SLINGSHOT 2022 is extending its application deadline to 31 July to give more young and promising startups the opportunity of a lifetime!

SLINGSHOT 2022

Enterprise Singapore has extended the application deadline for SLINGSHOT — its global startup pitching competition – for an additional week to July 31, 2022. SLINGSHOT aims to provide exciting new startups a platform to launch their best tech and business ideas into the global market.

Last year, Quantumcyte — an artificial intelligence-integrated tissue dissection solution that provides more accurate test results for cancer patients — walked away with a Startup SG Grant of S$200,000 (in addition to the Startup SG Grant of S$50,000 for being a Sector winner), and 18 months worth of rent-free space at JTC Launchpad.

Also read: Lalamove: Driving growth in eCommerce with last-mile deliveries

In its sixth edition this year, SLINGSHOT will feature an inaugural physical immersion programme for its top 50 startup finalists to be announced in September. According to Enterprise Singapore, the top 50 finalists of the SLINGSHOT competition will be participating in a 10-day physical programme to experience the startup and innovation ecosystem in Singapore, and better understand how Enterprise Singapore can help these startups accelerate their growth and scale their business to the Southeast Asian region.

Along with the physical immersion programme, SLINGSHOT is also collaborating with the AWS Startup Ramp programme to connect its startup finalists to AWS’s global community of partners for collaborative opportunities, as well as training and credits provided by AWS.

Who can join?

Deep tech startups operating in diverse sectors are welcome to join. For its sixth edition, SLINGSHOT is looking for startups that have a particular emphasis on a variety of key innovations, namely transformative digital technologies; health and biomedical; manufacturing, trade and connectivity; environment, energy and green technology; and consumer media, goods and services.

Through SLINGSHOT 2022, startups that belong to these categories can network with global leading investors, accelerators and corporates, from regional demo days, deal-mixers, and qualifiers to finals, immerse in exclusive pitch coaching, corporate site visits, and lab crawls in the vibrant Singapore startup ecosystem, ideate and co-innovate with MNCs and homegrown players to fast-track your ideas into the market, and present to a global audience at the Finals and win up to S$1.2m (US$800,000) worth of grant prizes.

Stand to win exciting prizes

Enterprise Singapore is offering more than US$800,000 in total grant prizes for startup winners, with the top three winners of SLINGSHOT winning up to 18 months’ rent-free space at Singapore’s LaunchPad @ one-north or LaunchPad @ Jurong Innovation District.

Also read: How Singapore startups explore opportunities in Japan—and vice versa

NextBillion, SLINGSHOT 2020’s grand winner, recently raised US$21 million in a Series B round in May. According to Enterprise Singapore, SLINGSHOT’s top 40 winners have gone on to raise almost US$400 million in investments.

The top 50 finalists of SLINGSHOT 2022 will be pitching physically during the finals to be held from October 25 to 27 during the Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology.

With the most important investors, corporates, industry leaders, mentors, media, and tech-savvy early adopters all gathered in one space, SLINGSHOT 2022 offers your startup a golden opportunity to connect with businesses and funding opportunities in the region. Don’t miss your chance to strike the deal of a lifetime.

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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by Enterprise Singapore

We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.

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